Types of Testing Accommodations

Submitted by eschnell@umn.edu on Tue, 03/27/2012 - 12:19

Exam accommodations are decided by a student and their access consultant. Below are some of the exam accommodations that are supported at the University of Minnesota. All accommodation questions should be directed to the student's access consultant.

Disability Accommodations in Other Testing Environments

How testing accommodations occur at the Disability Resource Center do not necessarily translate to other testing environments (GRE, Professional Licensing Exams, etc.) Please contact the responsible agency/organization to inquire about testing accommodations policies, practices and environments.

Testing Space

This accommodation is for students that need a minimally-distracting space to test.

Private: Student is alone in a spaceSemi-Private: Student is with a few other individuals

Extended Time

Extended time is based on the duration of the exam for the class, and then extended per a student’s accommodation. Students are granted extended time for a variety of reasons and disabilities.

Example: The class receives 50 minutes, but a students accommodation letter says the student should be allowed time and one-half. Since the class receives 50 minutes, the student should receive up to 1 hour and 15 minutes.

An “unlimited” amount of time is not an accommodation recommended by Access Consultants, nor is it permitted in the DRC Testing Center.

Adaptive Technology

CCTV: Allows student to zoom in or out on a page, as well as change the text and background color to best work with their visual acuity.

Alternate Formats

The exam will need to be provided in an alternate format so the student can access it. Examples:

Large Print: enlarged text such as 18 point with bold font

Kurzweil: A Text-to-Speech software program that uses a synthesized voice so the student can hear the exam as well as read it.

Braille: Tactile text used by students who are Blind or have Low Vision.

RTF: A Microsoft Word-based format that is compatible with most screen reader programs

Computer Applications Supported in and by the DRC Testing Center:

Kurzweil

Dragon Naturally Speaking

JAWS

Voiceover

Zoomtext

Computer

A computer may be needed to:

Type instead of hand-write answers,

Use a screen-reader program such as Kurzweil or JAWS,

Use a Voice-to-Text program to write answers such as Dragon Naturally Speaking

Use a screen magnifier such as ZoomText

Reader/Scribe

This accommodation is available for students that need assistance reading and/or writing exams.